Actress and early childhood advocate Jennifer Garner was in Washington, D.C. today to meet with the Senate Finance Committee on the importance of voluntary home visiting opportunities and the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.

During her visit to the nation’s capital, however, Garner took time to visit Educare DC – a high-quality early childhood education community center that serves the children and families of Ward 7.

Garner shared photos and a video from her visit to Educare on Instagram, writing, “I was reminded of the magic of #Headstart and #EarlyHeadstart on today’s visit to #Educare in Washington D.C with @savethechildren,” she wrote in the post. “75% of the families at this preschool/pre-K/daycare have household incomes at or below $9000 year! In Metropolitan D.C.! In these bright, cheerful, happily chaotic classrooms you’d never know- kids were too busy learning and growing, not to mention showing me the ropes.”

As a trustee of Save the Children, Garner has been a keen early childhood education advocate and recognizes the need for greater investment in opportunities for children from birth through age five living in poverty.

Later in the day, she was on Capitol Hill where she and members of the Senate Finance Committee discussed the recent reauthorization of the MIECHV program.

“Thanks to the leadership of Senators Hatch, Wyden, Grassley and Menendez, thousands of families across the country will receive critical support services through the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program,” said Garner. “Through my work with Save the Children, I’ve seen how home visiting programs make a huge difference in the lives of many families across the country. By helping mothers and fathers be the best parents they can be, we can put more children on a path toward success.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve fought for home visiting programs because studies have shown that these programs reduce child abuse and neglect, increase school readiness, and improve the health, safety, and well-being of children and their parents,” Senator Hatch said. “Jennifer has advocated for these programs for years and her efforts have helped keep the program going. My hope is that MIECHV continues to receive bipartisan support, so we can keep up this great work to help vulnerable children and their families.”